Input/output connector for portable communication device and process for mounting the said connector

Abstract

An electrical connector for a portable communication device. The connector is intended to be surface mounted to a printed circuit board of the portable communication device. The connector has a housing and contacts to be soldered to the printed circuit board. The housing has snap-fit lugs and positioning dogs to locate the housing for pressing the contacts on the printed circuit board with coflatness of the contacts before soldering of the contacts to the printed circuit board.

We claim: 
     
       1. Input/output connector for portable communication device intended to be surface-mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising an insulating housing on whose lateral parts are fixed two positioning dogs to be soldered to the PCB, contacts to be soldered to the PCB, characterized in that the connector comprises an elastic means for snap-fit holding of the housing to the PCB intended, when said connector is placed on the PCB for surface-mounting, to hold the contacts pressing on the PCB such that surface-soldering can be carried out while each of the contacts is in a position such that the contacts are contained in a plane of reference for the coflatness of the contacts. 
     
     
       2. Input/output connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic means for holding consists of snap-fit lugs situated on the lateral parts of the insulating housing opposite the positioning dogs in such a way that the PCB is held clamped between said snap-fit lugs and said positioning dogs while the contacts are constrained on corresponding contact pads of the PCB. 
     
     
       3. Input/output connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic means for holding consists of at least one snap-fit lug situated on a rear part of the insulating housing opposite the contacts in such a way that the PCB is held clamped between said snap-fit lug and the contacts while constrained on corresponding contact pads of the PCB. 
     
     
       4. Input/output connector according to claim 1, characterized in that the elastic means for holding consists of snap-fit lugs situated directly in line with and to the rear of the positioning dogs so that the PCB is held clamped between the snap-fit lugs and the contacts while constrained on corresponding contact pads of the PCB. 
     
     
       5. Input/output connector according to claim 4, characterized in that extreme parts of the snap-fit lugs intended to come into contact with the PCB possess a cutout and are inclined with respect to a plane orthogonal to the plane of the PCB. 
     
     
       6. Process for mounting the input/output connector according to claim 1, characterized in that, when the connector is jammed into the PCB, a bearing load exerted on the connector, in a placement phase during surface-mounting, is used to bring about the automatic snap-fitting of the connector to the PCB in the exact desired plane. 
     
     
       7. Input/output connector for portable communication device intended to be surface-mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB) comprising an insulating housing on whose lateral parts are fixed two positioning dogs to be soldered to the PCB, contacts to be soldered to the PCB, characterized in that the connector comprises an elastic means for snap-fit holding of the housing to the PCB intended, when the connector is placed on the PCB for surface-mounting, to hold the contacts pressing on the said PCB, wherein surface-soldering can be carried out while each of the contacts is in a position such that the contacts lie in a predetermined tolerance interval with respect to a plane of reference for coflatness of the contacts.